


Day Off

by Rekall



Category: Hawkeye (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-21
Updated: 2013-12-21
Packaged: 2018-01-05 10:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1092860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rekall/pseuds/Rekall
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint just wanted to have a quiet day off. Too bad he's hung over, missing his dog and Kate and the phone just won't stop ringing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Day Off

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mrasaki](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrasaki/gifts).



The coffee pot was taking too long. 

In reality it was taking no longer than normal. It just felt like it was taking forever. It always happened that way when Clint needed it the most. When his head hurt the most and his eyes were so tired all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

Clint couldn't help but feel that he deserved it. Last night had been poker night at the Avengers Tower. He had been doing great for once. Unfortunately so was Logan and he had no plans on giving up so easily. The game ended up going well into the night and with it came a lot of beers. Clint really couldn't remember what had happened much after 2am. His memories had begun to blur together and his head was pounding too hard to think straight. That was why he needed the coffee. Only the coffee pot was working too damn slow. 

Thankfully the place was quiet. Barney had left a few days ago, claiming there were things he had to do. Clint wasn't quite sure what he had meant by that but as long as Barney stayed out of trouble, Clint supposed it was okay. 

Kate and Lucky were still gone. Last time he had heard from Kate she sounded happy. He couldn't help but be a bit jealous. L.A. was good for her, even though he missed her. She had been a good student.

He wished she had left the dog though. Clint hadn't know how use he was to Lucky greeting him each day until he was gone. Part of him wanted to take a Quinjet to go get Lucky back. He wouldn't do that though. He didn't want to appear as pathetic as he felt. So he would wait, order a pizza and hope one day Lucky would come home. 

Finally the coffee maker was finished. Clint began drinking it straight from the pot. He saw no reason not too. Kate wasn't around to complain. He even missed that part about her. 

The phone rang; the noise jackhammering though his brain. Definitely no more drinking or playing poker with friends who had superpowers and thus could outlast him for awhile. He almost wished Kate was there to call him a moron. Sometimes he needed to hear it out loud. 

Ignoring the phone, Clint wandered over to the couch while still clutching the coffee pot. It was a toss up whether he wanted to fall back asleep or force himself to stay awake. The former was looking like the best option. Unless someone needed avenging he had no plans for the day. It was officially his day off. That however didn't mean a whole lot if some sociopath decided to attack the world. So any terrorists better stay away until tomorrow.

The cushions buckled under his weight as he flopped down on the couch. He was just so tired. And his head hurt. And the damn phone wouldn't stop ringing. 

Finally whoever it was had given up and the apartment settled into blissful silence. It was just what Clint needed. No sounds; no distractions. 

The coffee pot fell to the floor as Clint rolled over and closed his eyes. Vaguely he knew there would be a mess but it was something which could be dealt with later. At the moment, all he wanted to do was sleep.

* * *

"Bro!"

"Dude!"

Clint rolled his eyes as he passed the two fools in track suits. He knew he should have just ordered the pizza to be delivered but he felt compelled to actually get out of his apartment after spending all morning sleeping. Plus he thought the fresh air might do him some good. There was still a full ache in his head but it was not nearly as bad as it had been. And the pizza place was only a short distance away. It allowed him to get out without going far and exerting more energy than necessary. 

The pizza place was Lucky's favourite. One time when he did get it delivered, Clint was called away on Avengers business shortly after it arrived. When he returned - ready to zap the now cold pizza in the microwave - he had discovered the pizza to be entirely gone. Clint had found Lucky laying under the kitchen table with a guilty look on his face and pizza sauce on his nose. Clint hadn't had it in him to be mad. Especially not when he had opened his arms and Lucky came bounding towards him. It was impossible being upset with a dog who loved you do much. 

The pizza place wasn't busy and in no time Clint was returning to his apartment building with his treasure of delicious pizza pie. Unfortunately the two fools were still hanging around. 

"Dude!"

"Bro!"

It was really tempting to take care of them. But in the long run they were harmless and Clint really didn't want to waste time or energy dealing with them. Plus he was hungry. Eating was more important than taking on the tracksuit mafia. 

"Bro!"

"Dude!"

Well it was more important than taking them on that specific afternoon. Tomorrow would be an entirely different matter. 

Once inside the building, Clint was thankfully away from all the 'dudes' and 'bros'. They really needed new material. Clint was half convinced those were the only two words a lot of them knew.

From the hallway he could hear his phone ringing. It had stopped however by the time Clint unlocked the door. At least he knew it wasn't Avengers business since his pager was still silent. 

It was probably just a telemarketer, Clint decided as he sat down to enjoy his lunch. Only a telemarketer.

* * *

The dryer spun round and round, turning Clint's clothes. Among the clothes inside the dryer was his Hawkeye uniform. That was the great thing about his current uniform, he could just throw it in the laundry with the rest of his clothes. Not like his old uniform which required more care. 

Jarvis had taken care of things back then. That had been sweet; having a butler cater to your every need. But as nice it had been, Clint liked his current quiet life away from the action. After so many times of being woken up in the middle of the night from something trying to kill you, the luxury of mansion life wore off. It was better living away from the mansion and tower. Even if he did miss Jarvis' cooking.

The dryer came to a stop and Clint emptied it into the laundry basket. He would sort them later; if at all. Sometimes he was way too worried about sorting clothes. As long as they were clean, Clint didn't care if they stayed in the basket until next time they needed to be wash. Except for his uniform of course. He needed to look good on the job.

With his basket full, Clint left the laundry room and headed up the stairs back to his apartment. As he walked he wondered who the fool was who first decided that common laundry rooms belonged in the basement of the building. It was such a chore to go up and down whenever laundry needed to be done. It was time he could have spent elsewhere. Like saving the world.

The phone was ringing again by the time Clint made it back inside his apartment. 

"I'm coming!" Clint called at the device. He didn't know why people did that. It wasn't like the phone itself could hear him.

Dropping the basket on the floor by the door, Clint dove for the phone and picked it up on the last ring. "Hello?"

There was no one there. Just dead the silence of the other side having already disconnected. Whoever it was had already given up.

Clint swore as he hung up the phone. It was the third time someone had tried calling him that day. He hoped it wasn't Bobbi or Natasha. Or even Jessica, assuming she was currently talking to him. All three would be annoyed with him if they thought he was dodging them. He really hoped it was a telemarketer.

* * *

Clint was napping for a second time when the breeze from the open window woke him. It was odd since he could have swore the window was closed when he went to sleep. It had to have been his imagination though. He didn't think his faulty memory was due to a concussion but he was never quite so sure.

"You still owe me, Barton."

There was no mistaking the gruff voice from the shadows by the window. It belonged to one of the last people Clint wanted to deal with on his day off. Squinting, Clint could barely make out the short, Canadian's shape. 

"Hey, Logan. Wanna beer?"

". . . Yes."

Logan followed him to the kitchen. At least he didn't have his uniform on. That meant it was a personal call and not business. Clint wasn't quite sure what was worse as he got Logan a bottle of beer. Clint thought about one for himself but it was still too early in the day. Instead he settled for more coffee. 

"So what exactly do I owe you?" Clint asked while Logan drowned his beer. 

"My money from last night."

Oh, right. The poker game. The event was still a bit fuzzy in Clint's mind. Too many beers and no healing factor to counter it. 

"You're going to have to provide a bit more detail than that."

Logan named his price and Clint almost choked on his coffee. He had to have been really out of it. He wondered if Natasha had been testing poisons on him again and neglected to inform him. One thing he knew for sure was he was staying sober for any more poker nights. 

The phone rang while Clint was writing out the cheque. He ignored it though. He just wanted his transaction with Wolverine over with. 

"This is extortion," Clint grumbled as he handed the cheque over. "I can barely remember last night."

"Not my problem."

"Don't you have a school to run? Shouldn't you be setting a better example for your students?"

"The bills need to be paid somehow."

Fortunately Logan left shortly after that. Through the door this time and not the window, which Clint firmly closed and locked. He didn't want anymore surprises and unexpected visits on his day off.

* * *

The scratching and whining at the door was first indication that he had a visitor. It was followed by a crisp knocking. After his last visitor Clint was tempted to take his time in answering the door but if it was a tenant it was his job to make sure they were taken care of. He really needed to hire a manager or something. 

What Clint didn't expect when he opened the door was for Lucky to bound into the apartment and leap up at him, knocking him to the floor. Clint was so happy to see Lucky that he didn't even care. 

"Good boy," Clint said in between Lucky's attempts to lick his face. He tried petting Lucky but the dog was squirming too much. "Good boy."

"Don't you ever answer the phone anymore? I've been trying to call you all day." 

Kate. 

Around Lucky's furry body Clint saw her standing near the door as she dropped a bag to the ground. She looked tired but happy.

"Hey, Hawkeye. How was L.A.?"

"Expensive, Hawkeye."

Clint didn't expect that as an answer. "Isn't your dad like super rich?" 

Clint knew the man was. Kate had been personally financing her team when they were first formed. That wasn't a task a teenager could have done without rich parents. Clint had heard they were living in the ruins of the Avengers mansion when she first joined. That had been when he was dead. That wasn't a fun period for Clint.

"Hey, is that pizza? I haven't had real pizza since I left."

At the word 'pizza' Lucky went bounding over to the kitchen counter where the pizza box still sat with the leftover pizza inside. Clint followed and gave him a slice, which Lucky immediately began wolfing down. Even the dog missed New York pizza. The fact it was cold didn't mean anything to Lucky.

As Clint fed Lucky another slice, his thoughts turned towards the Kate situation. Something had happened but she was unwilling to talk about it. It made things difficult. Clint couldn't help her if she didn't want to talk.

"So . . . L.A. . . ."

"Was fine." Kate smiled and Clint believed her. The issue had to be with her father which Clint knew always had been a rocky relationship. "I started my own business. A detective/superhero thing. I even had clients."

Kate paused as she checked out the coffee pot and frowned. "Are you out of coffee again?"

Clint really didn't know. He did remember drinking a lot of coffee that day but certainly it wasn't that much. "Maybe?"

"You really can't manage without me."

"There was a lot of stuff going on today," Clint protested. "Dangerous stuff."

Logan counted as dangerous. Clint was sure of it. Any encounter with Wolverine counted as dangerous. It was a written rule or something. 

"Dangerous, huh?"

"Completely."

"Good thing I came back then. Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

"Two Hawkeyes are better at facing trouble than one."

"That's certainly the truth."

Again Clint wondered what exactly happened in L.A. He wasn't going to press her though. He had already ran her off once. And whether he wanted to admit it or not. He liked having her around. She was a good student. 

"Come," Clint said as he picked up his bow. "Show me how much you improved."

It was a challenge. One Clint knew that Kate couldn't ignore. That was one thing he liked about her. She didn't back down from challenges even when the odds weren't in her favour. It was one of the things that made her a good Hawkeye.

The target was set up on the far side of the room. They took turns firing arrows at it. Clint wasn't particularly interested in winning. He had nothing to prove. Shooting arrows though was a good relaxation method and that's what he wanted for Kate. So she would get her mind off things.

Time went by quickly while they continued their game.

"Thanks," Kate said afterwards.

"Yeah, I'm awesome in that way." It was easier to blow her off by joking. It kept things light and not series between them. It was what she needed.

Kate smiled while she gently punched him in the shoulder. "You can't be that awesome when you haven't fed me yet. A good mentor does that type of thing."

"I think that can be arranged."

* * *

The smell of the BBQ flowed all around the rooftop. The food was being passed out and after spending time talking to others in the building, Clint made his way back to Kate's side where she was eating her chicken awfully fast.

"Did you even eat at all out there?"

Kate paused and looked up at him."I told you, it was expensive out there."

Clint shook his head as he looked down at Lucky who was sticking to him like glue, following him all around. Clint bent down and patted his head. "At least she kept you fed."

Lucky cocked his head and panted. Clint could tell he was happy and patted Lucky again before feeding him a hot dog before looking around the rooftop. He was among people he liked and there was plenty of tasty food about. It wasn't a perfect life but it was his and he liked it that way. 

A beeping sound from his beeper ruined the moment. Pulling it out of his pocket, he didn't know why he bothered to even look at it. There was only one reason why someone would contact him on it. 

"Kate, look after the dog," he said as he headed towards the door which lead to the stairs that would take him back down to his apartment. There was no time to explain things. He was needed. Hawkeye was needed. 

At least it had been a nice day off until then.


End file.
